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Topic: thermo or meso cultures? (Read 630 times)

I am doing a lot of research on a pasta filata style cheese (Oaxaca/quesillo). The traditional recipes simply leave raw milk out to acidify overnight. Interestingly, some of the modern recipes I am finding are using a meso culture, but the process does not differ in its temperature or acid development profile from a typical mozzarella.

Can anyone think of a reason why a meso culture might have made sense to these folks? Is it logical to think that you can ripen/let acid develop under the meso heat threshold and the development will continue just enough to hit targets despite passing the heat threshold in the scald phase? Maybe the thinking is use of a meso would slow the acid development at the critical point of wheying off and give more time/control over stretch phase? I am not sure the logic holds, but curious since I am finding a number of references to its use!

meso. But not lactococcus meso . The native starter for oaxaca is lb plantarum, which is a mesophilic lactobacillus.

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Can anyone think of a reason why a meso culture might have made sense to these folks?

Because most thermos you can buy will not acidify that well at oaxaca normal temps. You'd be making an italian cheese at that point and have to raise the temps. I think it's a simple answer... trial and error. They used the typical process and temps and picked cultures that worked.

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